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The report examines the intersection of climate change, national security, and sovereignty in the Arctic, focusing on Canada's strategic position. It notes that receding ice is opening new shipping lanes and resource opportunities, leading to increased military posturing among littoral states. While Canada has increased defence spending and planned infrastructure like the Diefenbaker icebreaker and bases at Resolute Bay and Nanisivik, the report argues that 'hard military power' is insufficient. Instead, it recommends that Canada leverage 'soft power' by leading in Arctic environmental management, engaging indigenous and northern communities in decision-making, and updating its Northern Foreign Policy to reflect current geopolitical realities.

The document presents a collection of data points from multiple research organizations arguing that renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) sectors generate more employment per unit of energy or investment than fossil fuels. It highlights national and state-level projections in the US, such as the potential for 4.2 million new green jobs by 2038, and international examples from Germany, Spain, Brazil, and India. Specific technology sectors—including wind, solar, biofuels, and geothermal—are detailed alongside the impact of policy mechanisms like Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) and investment tax credits.

The paper argues that Norway's success is due to a combination of high-quality institutions existing prior to oil discovery, a stable democratic system with proportional representation, and a commitment to social welfare and intergenerational equity through the Norwegian Petroleum Fund.

The document examines how reducing trade barriers for low-carbon technologies can lower mitigation costs and support UNFCCC technology transfer mandates. It details the technical and political hurdles in WTO negotiations, such as the 'dual-use' problem and the lack of a universal definition for environmental goods. The author argues that trade liberalization alone is insufficient for climate mitigation, as factors like GDP, purchasing power, and intellectual property rights are critical determinants of technology diffusion. It suggests that if the Doha Round fails, alternatives like plurilateral agreements or regional trade agreements should be pursued, provided they are coupled with financial and technical assistance.

The document examines the dual role of intellectual property as both an incentive and a barrier to the transfer of climate-related technologies. It highlights the potential of TRIPS flexibilities—such as compulsory licensing and patentability exemptions—to facilitate technology access in developing countries. It also suggests exploring financial mechanisms and guidelines for publicly funded research within the UNFCCC framework to enhance the post-Kyoto climate regime.

The report examines how climate change disproportionately affects older people in the UK, highlighting their physical, financial, and emotional vulnerabilities. It analyzes the carbon footprints of different age groups, the risks of extreme weather on health and housing, and the barriers to energy efficiency. The document concludes with recommendations for a coordinated national policy framework focusing on risk assessment, home retrofitting, and improved local accessibility.

The document provides a comprehensive overview of wind energy, detailing how turbines convert wind into electricity and the factors affecting power output, such as wind speed and turbine height. It examines the history of the US wind industry, noting the influence of federal tax credits and state renewable energy standards. The text argues that wind power is a cost-competitive, sustainable alternative to fossil fuels that can be integrated into the electric grid without compromising reliability, citing examples from Xcel Energy and various European nations. It concludes that achieving 20 percent wind energy in the US by 2030 is technically and economically feasible.

The authors argue that 'deep' system-wide coordination of all international organizations is an impossible challenge due to the diversity of mandates. Instead, they propose 'targeted coherence'—coordination between specific agencies for specific tasks. The paper outlines four practical steps: elevating environmental issues on the UN System Chief Executives Board (CEB) agenda, establishing an annual retreat for environmental leaders, creating issue-specific task forces for regional and national implementation, and developing a GEG Project Database Portal to aggregate information. These measures aim to replace the current annual EMG meeting, which is described as a 'fruitless exercise'.

The report argues that environmental change acts as a 'threat multiplier' for Canadian security, particularly through the opening of Arctic shipping routes and the scramble for newly accessible oil and gas reserves. It highlights tensions with Denmark over Hans Island and the U.S. over the Northwest Passage. Internationally, it notes that climate-induced migration and resource conflicts increase the burden on Canadian peacekeeping and aid. Conversely, the report asserts that Canada's 'new security agenda'—focused on counter-terrorism and energy independence—often competes with environmental management, as seen in the push for oil sands development and the proposed militarization of the Great Lakes.

The briefing argues that Global Environmental Governance (GEG) suffers from financial inefficiency and a lack of transparency, as there is no centralized system to track how environmental funds are allocated. To resolve this, the authors propose the Global Environmental Financing Tracking (GEFT) Register, a voluntary, web-based information system modeled after the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' Financial Tracking Service. The GEFT Register would allow donors and recipients to report financial flows, which would then be tagged by issue, source, and recipient. The authors suggest that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) host the register and produce an annual report to identify funding trends and gaps. The goal is to better match funding supply with demand, improve donor visibility, and rationalize investment portfolios to ensure resources are used more effectively to address global environmental challenges.

The document argues that the global trade of lead and cadmium creates significant health and environmental risks that cannot be effectively managed by countries acting unilaterally, particularly in developing nations. It highlights the toxicity of these metals, the externalization of environmental costs to producing countries, and the failure of existing frameworks to cover the entire lifecycle of these substances.

The report evaluates the IRRANA programme, finding that financial incentives and reintegration support did not encourage voluntary return; instead, decisions were driven by the desire to avoid forced deportation or the frustration of prolonged asylum processes. Reintegration efforts, primarily focused on small business grants, were largely unsuccessful, with many businesses serving as 'sham' mechanisms to access cash. The report recommends institutionalising skills training for asylum seekers while in Norway and restructuring reintegration support to include genuine job referrals and training alternatives.

The document examines the relationship between the UK's ageing population and climate change, highlighting that while certain older age groups have high carbon footprints, they are also disproportionately vulnerable to extreme weather. It calls for integrated policies to improve energy efficiency in homes, enhance public transport, and involve older people in policy-making to ensure a sustainable and secure future.

The briefing examines the European Union's Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS), the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), and the Midwestern Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord. It argues that for cap-and-trade to be effective, the emissions cap must be sufficiently tight and the distribution of allowances should favor auctioning over free allocation to avoid windfall profits for firms.

The document provides a comprehensive overview of employment trends in the clean energy sector, contrasting the job-creation potential of renewables and energy efficiency with traditional fossil fuel industries. It highlights specific national and state-level projections in the U.S., international trends in the EU and Brazil, and sector-specific data for wind, solar, biofuels, and geothermal energy, while also noting the decline of coal mining employment.

The report outlines a comprehensive approach to revitalizing the Cuyahoga Valley by treating environmental restoration as an economic driver. It proposes specific interventions for the 5.5-mile ship channel, including the implementation of low-impact development (LID) for stormwater, the creation of aquatic habitats like pocket wetlands and green bulkheads, and the establishment of an industrial symbiosis network called 'Waste = Revenue'. The document argues that moving away from traditional 'gray' infrastructure toward 'green' solutions will improve water quality, attract investment, and create new local business opportunities in restoration services.

The document outlines the state of the US wind energy sector as of 2006, noting that installed capacity reached 6,740 MW in 2004. It highlights the role of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) in driving growth and reducing costs to between $0.03 and $0.06 per kWh. The text compares onshore and offshore wind potential, discusses the environmental benefits of avoiding carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide emissions, and notes that the US has been surpassed by Germany, Spain, Denmark, and the UK in wind capacity and technology development.

The WTO Panel found that the EC's de facto moratorium on biotech approvals and several product-specific delays violated procedural requirements of the SPS Agreement by causing "undue delay." Additionally, safeguard measures adopted by EC Member States (including France, Germany, Italy, and Greece) were found inconsistent with the SPS Agreement because they were not based on a risk assessment. However, the Panel ruled that the general moratorium itself was a procedural decision rather than a substantive SPS measure, meaning it was not subject to the science-based risk assessment requirements of Article 5.1. The Panel also rejected the EC's argument that the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety should be used to interpret WTO rules, as not all parties to the dispute were parties to those treaties.

The paper asserts that nuclear power is a 'market loser' compared to windpower, cogeneration, and energy efficiency. It claims that nuclear power's high costs and long lead times result in a high opportunity cost, where investments in nuclear power displace far more carbon-reducing capacity than they provide. The author argues that a diversified portfolio of decentralized resources is faster, cheaper, and larger in potential than nuclear power, and that government subsidies for nuclear energy retard overall climate protection efforts.

The report examines Sweden's 'Vision Zero' policy, which shifts road safety responsibility from the individual user to the system designers to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries. While UK focus groups found the concept laudable, a stakeholder survey revealed significant skepticism regarding its achievability and cost-effectiveness in the UK. The document provides a cost-benefit analysis suggesting high potential savings and proposes a 'backcasting' implementation schedule for the UK through 2030, integrating road engineering, speed control, and sustainable transport.